Page 32 - Loodswezen Magazine 17

PILOTS PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING OF OFFICERS ON MODERN BRIDGE SIMULATOR OF CSMART ALMERE
Understanding each other on the bridge of a cruise ship
CARNIVAL OPERATIONS, THE WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP COMPANY, OPENED THE CENTER FOR SIMULATOR MARITIME TRAINING (CSMART) THIS SUMMER. CSMART IS PART OF THE ARISON MARITIME CENTER LOCATED IN THE DUTCH TOWN OF ALMERE. DURING THE TRAINING SESSIONS, CARNIVAL OFFI- CERS WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER WITH EXPERIENCED AMSTER- DAM-IJMOND PILOTS.
Carnival Operations, the world’s largest cruise line, has had its own training centre in Almere since 2009. The new Arison Maritime Center, which opened this summer, is more than twice as large: over 10,000 square metres. Cream of the crop is the Center for Simulator Maritime Training, CSMART, which includes four full-mission bridge simulators with the most advanced equipment. In this environment, officers employed by Carnival train for every conceivable maritime scenario to ensure safety at sea and in port.
The training centre in Almere, where approximately 6,500 officers from all over the world are trained each year, works closely with Nederlands Loodswezen. According to both parties, the cooperation, although still limited, is very valuable. During BRM1, the five-day Bridge Resource Management 1 training course, Amsterdam-IJmond pilots participate for one day in the training of officers on the bridge simulator. Accord- ing to former Amsterdam-IJmond pilot Ed Verbeek who, following his retirement, works as a Research & Development advisor, both officers and pilots learn a lot from the joint BRM training course. “It is mainly about understanding each other,” he says.
COMPLEX
Gabriele Petruzzelli, Director of Assessment and until recently Senior Instructor at CSMART, endorses that point of view. Carnival Operations works with its own operational system, which gives the pilots taking part in the training the opportunity to gain experience with this system as well. But above all, working as a pilot on a cruise ship requires different skills from those needed on a cargo ship. On the bridge of a cruise ship, the pilot not only has the Captain to consider, but also a bridge team of up to six crew members. And, as on every ship in pilot- age waters, many decisions have to be taken in a very short time, and unexpected situations have to be dealt with. “That makes this work so complex.”
According to Petruzzelli, who is of Italian origin, personal skills play
an important role during the BRM training courses. “The work on the bridge of a cruise ship does not revolve around our egos but around the safety of our passengers and crew”, he says. “I think it is important to forge a link between the pilot and the bridge crew. Irrespective of the procedures, the human factor plays a major role. Although we do not all have the same views, we still need to reach a consensus. What the officers and pilots learn during these training courses they can often apply to situations within their own family circle. That’s why I find this work so fascinating.”
STICKING ONE’S NECK OUT
Pilots have been cooperating in the training courses of Carnival Opera- tions since 2009. Initially, active pilots participated in the training cours- es, but now it’s mostly the retired Amsterdam-IJmond pilots who take part in CSMART. If Petruzzelli has his way, the training centre in Almere will also seek to work with pilots from other European countries. He very much appreciates that Nederlands Loodswezen is the first organ- isation to stick out its neck. “Safety is paramount in our business. That is why it is so important that our officers are well-trained for all possible situations. And, equally important, that the pilot and the bridge crew know what to expect from each other.”
PHOTOGRAPHY: CSMART
32 NAVIGATOR NL 2016 N° 15